Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Recently I went to see Thomas Moore at the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa, sponsored by Copperfield's Books. I was inspired by his talk. His most recent book, A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do, says that finding a life's work is an alchemical process that leaves nothing out. All elements of your life, including the failures and disappointments go into the mix. He illustrated his talk with the story of Rapunzel, who ended up in a tower due to a compromise her father was forced to make with a sorceress. This got my attention, since I played Rapunzel in a Girl Scout play when I was 11. He makes the analogy between early success in your work life and being locked in a tower. That is, sometimes success keeps you from growing and moving forward to what you really were meant to do. For those of us who are still wondering what we will do when we grow up, this is a relief. I can see now that if some of my earlier jobs had not been so unsatisfactory, I would have stayed. The first book of his that I read was The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life, so the dedication he wrote in my copy of his new book: "Do your magic, make us an enchanted world", brought me joy. I had just remembered something wonderful about my childhood. I used to spend hours outside with the plants and flowers - playing with the flowers, talking to them (as I still do today). "An only child" I never felt lonely and now I know why - I was surrounded by all the plant beings! I had a vision of myself in the midst of a whole world of smiling flower faces. Moore says we cannot forget how our past is a part of us. Rather we should mine it for all its worth. Re-examine our past and see if our relationship to it changes. It has taken me all these years to remember that I have always been connected to "flower power". No wonder Flower Essences and Essential Oils - Flower Therapy - appeals so much to me. I am seeking certification as a flower essence practitioner. I need a number of case studies. If you would like to be included in my study, please leave a comment with your email and I will get in touch with you. Best if we can meet in person at least once. So... near Santa Rosa or the Bay Area only, unless you are traveling this way.

1 comment:

Thank you for taking the time to share your reflections about Thomas Moore's book tour talk about A Life at Work in Santa Rosa. You may be interested in a blog dedicated to his work, called Barque: Thomas Moore at http://barque.blogspot.com . It links to a free forum where Moore is now blogging about his tour.